Electrolux UltraActive DeepClean Bagless Canister Vacuum, EL4300B

I have found customers' reviews to be a valuable source of information before I buy appliances, and I was impressed by other customer's comments on this vacuum. I wanted a manageable vacuum cleaner that would do the job. This model meets those criteria. It's lightweight but powerful enough to clean carpets. The power-bar carpet attachment is easy to put on and take off; the swivel head design allows vacuuming under beds, sofas, and other "low slung" items, and its design allows swiveling around items (who wants to move all the furniture just to vacuum?) It features a suction control (being lazy, I keep it on the highest level all the time). It's bagless dust container lets me see exactly how much filth I've picked up. This is the easiest machine to clean--no bags to change! You simply lift out the container and dump the contents. An added bonus is that the container is transparent, so you can more readily find that earring or other small object you inadvertently vacuumed up. The carpet power bar has adjustable settings--high, medium, and low. The hand tools merit note: the dust brush and crevice tool clip onto the underside of the handle, so they are always within ready reach; sometimes, yes, they do pop out, but if I take care to replace them firmly, this doesn't happen. The hard floor attachment is as easy to put on and take off as is the carpet power bar. My only criticism: the cord could be a little longer! I have to plug and unplug to go from room to room. Oh, yes--the cord has an automatic take-up. The delayed power-up after switching the machine on is a little distracting, but I had been forewarned in other customer reviews; really, it's no big deal! I was replacing an upright (one of Hoover's top of the line machines). I found my new little Electrolux to clean carpets just as well and for all other vacuuming tasks (dusting, hard-floors, upholstery), the Electrolux is head-and-shoulders above the Hoover. The canister is light weight enough to pick up with one hand while wielding the cleaning wand with the other. I said I wanted a machine that was both powerful and effective; my little Electrolux is both!

Initially, I liked this vacuum cleaner. Always liked the Electrolux brand. The basic canister is great, super suction and easy empty dust cup...but a flimsy handle to remove it, easily broken. The small attachments are top quality. The problem with this product are the attachment points. From the start, the foot release of the power floor tool broke. The telescoping wand clip failed, the wand would no longer hold in position. The repaired power floor tool broke a 2nd time, spun around completely severing the electrical wires within the unit. Another clip on a replacement wand failed. The control cover for the power floor tool on the handle fell off.At this point, I have several components that are failing, any of which will render this canister kaput! 1) the powerhead is failing, again! 2) the hose crimps during use creating a weak point. 3) the floor brush is failing, about to break at the swivel point.When I bought the EL4300A it retailed for $499. This EL4300B is the newer model, but the only difference I can see in the unit is the color of the canister has changed. All other components are identical to the EL4300A. So, expect it to fall apart.

I hate vacuuming. Almost as much as I hate dirty floors. I've been using a Kenmore upright vacuum for probably 7 years now. It still works. But I bought it when I lived in a small carpeted apartment. Now I live in a large house with hardwood floors and rugs on the upper floors, and a carpeted downstairs. And the upright just got to be so heavy, especially when the bag would start to fill up.I have cats and a dog, so there's a lot of fur in my house. There's also a lot of cat litter that gets spread around and dirt and leaves that the dog inevitably brings in. I'd have to go over and over the mess with the Kenmore on the hardwood floors and it was just a pain to pick anything up. It would blow it all over the place and only suck up half on the first go-over. It did do fine on carpet though.This Electrolux vacuum does perfectly on hardwood! It really surprised me. It is so maneuverable and has amazing suction! The carpet/hardwood attachment fits under beds and also over the vents in the floor perfectly without trouble, something my Kenmore couldn't do. It sucks up the dirt like it's supposed to on the first go-over, leaving few situations where I need to vacuum the same area twice. And it does wonderfully on rugs and carpet too! The vacuum is light so that I can vacuum the carpeted stairs no problem and carry it up and down the stairs with ease. The hose has a very good reach and the fact that you can empty the canister of dirt every few rooms is wonderful because it keeps the weight of the vacuum down, which is what was really important to me. The fact that there's no place to store all of the attachments on the vacuum is actually a plus, I think, as it also helps keeps the weight down. Most people will only need the main vacuum attachment and the two small attachments that are on the hose for routine vacuuming.I vacuumed with my Kenmore four days prior to receiving this Electrolux. I tried my Elecrolux as soon as I got it and was really surprised how much extra dirt and fur it picked up!I really hate vacuuming, but Electrolux has made me hate it a lot less. And everyone that I've talked to about my new vacuum has had nothing but positive comments about Electrolux, stating that their mothers or grandmothers used Electrolux vacuums for years. My parents still have a working Electrolux vacuum of my grandmother's from 30+ years ago! I should've gotten an Electrolux sooner. It's definitely worth the money!***UPDATE***CLEAN YOUR WASHABLE FILTER OFTEN TO MAINTAIN GREAT SUCTION!!If you have a lot of pet hair in your house like me, you MUST clean the washable filter on the canister unit after each vacuuming, or at the very least every other vacuuming depending on how big your house is and how much pet hair you have. If you do not clean the filter (which is very easy to do), it will accumulate so much hair and dust that it will greatly reduce the vacuum's suction.When you remove the canister, the filter on the back will look clean but don't be fooled! Remove it, and the other side will be caked with dirt and absolutely filthy! It's basically like a sponge so just wash it in your sink, wring it out a bit and then let it dry out (which doesn't take very long). Very easy and simple. This filter really works considering how clogged it gets! lol***UPDATE -- 3.5 years after purchase***I am sorry to say that my time with this Electrolux has come to an end. While the motor still works, the upright "Power Nozzle" has broken. On the section of the "Power Nozzle" which attaches to the "Telescopic Wand", there is a small plastic piece which is tasked with holding everything together. This piece takes a lot of stress as you move the vacuum back and forth. It has fallen off a few times, causing the part with the brush roller to become separated from the part with the wand, exposing the wires. It is very easy to reattach, however, and happened so infrequently I did not mind the minor inconvenience. However, now part of this area has cracked, causing that little plastic piece to no longer stay in. As such, the "Power Nozzle" is now useless, making the vacuum itself useless unless I want to vacuum my entire house using the "Telescopic Wand" and attachments.About a year ago, the handle to the removable canister broke as well. This made removing it difficult when it was time to empty the dirt. The auto-reel cord stopped working very well around this time as well, making it difficult, if not impossible, to use this as intended.Alone, the canister and cord issues were tolerable. But combined with the nozzle breaking, it is time for a new vacuum.I have not contacted Electrolux as I am no longer under warranty. I do not see an option to replace this piece and I assume it would be at least $100 if it were possible. I'd rather put that toward a new vacuum.For the price, I had hoped to get at least 5 years out of this vacuum, with the hope that it would be many more. Thus, I am reducing my rating to 4 stars from 5.I would still recommend this product, however I urge you to get it on sale if at all possible. Do not spend more than $300 for it.